Ricotta Pancakes are incredibly soft, creamy, smooth and fluffy pancakes that almost melt in your mouth. You can top these wonderfully soft pancakes with a number of fresh, delicious toppings that make them even more irresistible. Make a stack of these fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes for a weekend brunch in just a few minutes!
Ricotta Pancakes
If you ever want to step out of your usual Classic Pancake routine, you simply MUST make these ricotta pancakes! They’re wildly different than classic pancakes in terms of texture, but they still have a classic pancake flavor that your whole family will love.
What makes these pancakes incredibly smooth is the whole milk ricotta cheese, while the buttermilk contributes to the truly delicious fluffiness. While these pancakes require a bit more work than the boxed store-bought stuff, they’re well worth the extra effort. And truly, it’s just 5 extra minutes.
These pancakes are even more delicious when they’re topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. Now that spring is here and summer’s just around the corner, I couldn’t think of a more perfect time to make these ricotta pancakes!
Ingredients for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Whole Milk Ricotta – This can be found at most grocery stores for a fairly inexpensive cost. If you have any leftover, try making some Ricotta Doughnuts!
- Buttermilk – Use a low fat buttermilk to ensure that your ricotta pancakes are perfectly fluffy.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream is the secret ingredient to making truly indulgent, delectable pancakes. And don’t worry – the sour cream flavor isn’t prominent in the actual pancakes, it’s just for texture.
- Eggs – The eggs can be cold or room temperature. The only requirement here is that they’re separated.
- Flour – Plain, all-purpose flour is the best to use in this pancake recipe.
- Sugar – Just a few tablespoons of white granulated sugar is all you need for a delicate touch of sweetness.
- Lemon – You will only need the zest, not the juice from the lemon itself. If you don’t want a hint of lemon in the pancakes, you can omit this ingredient. On the other hand, if you want the flavor to be stronger, feel free to use more.
- Vanilla Extract – The classic way to enhance the aroma and flavor of your baked goods.
- Baking Powder – Both the baking powder and baking soda in this recipe help to make the ricotta pancakes light, fluffy, and delicious.
- Baking Soda
- Salt – just a pinch to balance out the sugar and citrus.
How to Make Ricotta Pancakes
To prepare the batter, start by whisking together the ricotta cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar.
Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. You can use a hand blender with a whisk attachment, start it on low setting, and gradually increase to medium and it whisks.
Fold in the whipped egg whites and lemon zest until completely incorporated.
Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes before cooking the pancakes. This will give the baking powder time to activate and give you time to preheat the skillet or a pancake griddle.
When preparing to cook the pancakes, be sure to pre-heat the pan over medium heat before adding the pancakes and then lower the heat slightly. Each stove is different, so you will need to test which exact cooking temperature is best for your pancakes.
Drop about 1/3 cup of batter into preheated pan and let the pancakes cook without touching for approximately 3-4 minutes. When bubbles begin to appear in the batter, it’s time to flip it.
TIP: I like to use an ice cream scoop to get an even amount of batter each time.
Using a spatula, lift the cooked side of the pancake away from the griddle and flip it. Do so quickly, and try to use your wrist. Let it cook another couple of minutes.
Each pancake should each take 5-7 minutes to cook.
How to Serve Ricotta Pancakes
You can top these delicious homemade fluffy pancakes with SO many different toppings! Here are just a few topping ideas:
- Maple Syrup
- Powdered Sugar
- Berries (any fresh berries will be perfect)
- Butter
- Whipped Cream
- Mango Syrup
- Blueberry Syrup
- Strawberry Sauce
Storing and Reheating
Make sure to serve these pancakes when they’re fresh and hot. If you need to store leftovers and serve at a later time, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Ricotta pancakes should stay good for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to serve them, reheat the pancakes by giving them a few flips in a warm skillet until they’re just heated through. (You can also reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.)
Tips for Making the Best Pancakes Every Time
Use a measuring cup – To ensure that every pancake is the same size, use a 1/4 – 1/3 measuring cup to pour the batter onto the skillet. Or, use an ice cream scoop.
Preheat the pan – I’m sure you already know but adding pancake batter to a not-so-hot pan will not give you good results. Make sure your pan is preheated and ready to go to get the best fluffy pancakes!
Grease the pan – It’s very important to grease your pan before adding the first pancake. However, if you notice that after a few flips that the grease is starting to wear off, don’t hesitate to add a little more.
Use a spatula to flip – If you’ve ever messed up a pancake flip, you know how frustrating it can be! With a little patience, you’ll master it in no time. Just make sure the spatula is fully under the pancake, then use your wrist to quickly flip it. If you mess up – that’s ok! Keep trying until you get it right.
Make sure the pancakes is ready to flip – another common mistake with making pancakes is flipping too soon. Make sure and wait until you see bubbles appear on the top, before flipping the pancake over.
Treat Yourself to Even More Delicious Breakfast Recipes!
Chocolate Banana Muffins – soft and moist muffins that are with deep rich chocolate flavor.
Maple Bacon Donuts – easy homemade baked donuts made with bacon and maple syrup inside.
Overnight French Toast Bake – made with soft, buttery Brioche bread and sweetened cinnamon egg mixture.
Banana Pancakes – soft, heavenly buttermilk pancakes with fresh bananas mixed into the batter. Don’t be afraid to add some walnuts too!
Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs separated
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2-3 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 lemon – zest only
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
Instructions
Prepare the batter:
- Whisk together ricotta cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined.
- Vigorously whisk egg whites until soft peaks form (soft peaks, not hard peaks). (You can do it by hand or use a hand blender with a whisk attachment.)
- Whisk in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Fold in egg whites and lemon zest until completely incorporated.
Cooking the pancakes:
- Preheat a cooking pan or a pancake griddle first, before starting to cook the pancakes. Preheat it over medium heat and then lower it a little bit before adding the batter.
- Grease the pan (or the griddle) with some cooking oil. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to scoop batter and add it to the pan. (You can make them smaller if you wish.)
- Let the pancakes cook without touching them until you see bubbles appear on the top (3-4 minutes). Use a spatula to slide all the way under the pancake, lift it off, and use your wrist to quickly flip. Let them finish cooking until cooked through and golden on the bottom as well (another 2-3 minutes).(It will take 5-7 minutes for each ricotta pancake to cook.)
- Serve them with berries, powdered sugar, butter, whipped cream, maple syrup, blueberry syrup, or any other syrup or topping you love!
Nutrition
Pattyjune says
I am sure these will be wonderful! Can recipes be adjusted to make as waffles? Can you freeze them? I am rating them as 5 stars ✨ they sound great!
LyubaB says
You can make them in a waffle iron but the texture wont be the same as a regular waffle the outside won’t get as crispy and the inside will still be more creamy.